Keeley Hawes teams up with Downton Abbey star in first look trailer of BBC's new period drama Miss Austen
Keeley Hawes is preparing to star in a new period drama based on renowned novelist Jane Austen.
The actress, who is famed for appearing in Bodyguard, It's A Sin and The Durrells, will appear in the upcoming show Miss Austen, which has been adapted from Gill Hornby's best-selling novel of the same name.
In a first-look trailer, Keeley can be seen in period costume in her role as Cassandra 'Cassy' Austen, providing a glimpse at her close bond and loyalty to her sister, Jane. Watch the trailer above...
You may also like
Keeley Hawes and Matthew MacFadyen wow in 20th wedding anniversary photos
Michelle Dockery reveals 'bittersweet' Downton Abbey film detail
Downton Abbey stars then and now: what they've been up to since the show's end
"I am not ready to let my beloved sister, Cassie, go," a voiceover in the trailer begins before concluding with: "There is no greater comfort in this world than a sister."
The drama centres around the life of literary mystery, Cassandra - Jane Austen's beloved older sister, who famously burned her letters.
Billed as a "heart-breaking story of sisterly love," the series may not be a direct adaptation of a Jane Austen book, but Cassandra is described as being just as captivating as any other Austen heroine.
The four-part drama will also star the likes of Downton Abbey stars Rose Leslie and Phyllis Logan as well as Synnøve Karlsen, Patsy Ferran, Max Irons, Alfred Enoch and Kevin McNally.
The drama begins in 1830, many years after Jane has died. Cassandra rushes to visit Isabella (Rose Leslie), the niece of her long-dead fiancé, who is about to lose her home following her father's death.
Cassandra is ostensibly there to help Isabella, but her real motive is to find a hidden bundle of private letters which, in the wrong hands, she fears could destroy Jane's reputation.
The synopsis adds: "On discovering them, Cassandra is overwhelmed as she is transported back to her youth. In flashback, we meet Young Cassy (Synnøve Karlsen) and Jane (Patsy Ferran) as they navigate the romantic infatuations, family feuds and dashed hopes which shaped their lives, and laid the foundations for Jane’s unforgettable stories.
"Cassandra's re-evaluation of her past eventually leads her to find a way to guide Isabella towards the path of true happiness."
The trailer also sees Young Cassy (Synnøve) and Jane (Patsy) in flashback as they navigate the romantic infatuations, female friendships and dashed hopes which shaped their lives, and laid the foundations for Jane's unforgettable stories. The series, which wrapped up filming last year, will mark 250 years since Jane Austen's birth.
